Manifolding four cylinder engine



Nlarcl' 29, 1932., L w. SWAN MANIFOLDING FOUR-CYL1NDER ENGINE Original Filed Apr-il 27, 1925' 2 Sheets-Sheet` March 29, 1932.

J. W. SWAN MANIFOLDINQ FOUR-CYLINDER ENGINE Original Filed April 27, 19

2 Sheets-Sheet PatntedjMar; 29, 1.9132

' JOHN w. SWAN, or CLEVELAND, omo, Ais'sIGNon iro-,ERE SWAN cARBUnE'ron'cM- PANY, or CLEvELAND, onro, A conronArroN or omo .PATENT oFF-ICE mANrroLnINe noun' cYLINnEB. ENGINE Appneautn med Aprila?, 1925, serial r`Thlisinvention relates to a method (and means)` of distributing an air and fuel mix- The invention ains particularly -at the uniform distribution'of a mixture such as is known in the art as a cold mixture, that is, a

ture to the cylinders of an internal combusmixture under normal atmospheric tempera'- ture. However, the use of the invention is Z@ not so limited, inasmuch as it is capabl of satisfactory performance vin connection mixtures of any temperature. A disadvani tage of cold mixtures arisesfrom'the fact `is obtained by thepresent invention.

that such mixture contain particles of fuel injliquid state rendering uniformity of air "and fuel ratios'to the cylinders difficult of invention is devoted'more particularly to six cylinder engines, the present embodiment of the invention isprimarily constitutedv by an improved combination ofthe manifold as -set forth "in theearlier applications with a four 4,cylinder type of engine.

Y Insofar as matter pertaining to theapplicationror use of heat in 'carrying out the objects ofmy inventionor improvements has been disclosedgbut not claimed, in this' ap-u plication ,and/or in thePatent (of whichthis application-isacon inuation as to divisibles'ubjectmatter N 1,536,044,patented April 28, 1925', ed November 25,' 1924, and/or in its parent Patent'No.-1636,721, patented July 26,1927, filed September 17, 1921, all claims referring rtofthe application.' .fand/or -use of heat as aforesaid' for the purose of aiding distributionfor otherwise will prosecuted in my c ofpending application,

No. 26,196'. Renewed :une ap, 1927.

serial Ne'. 208,291, fneaJuly 25,-1927g-f0r y constitutes a continuation oflthis application fas well asdivision of the parent Patent No.v

1,636,721,1ioted above. Y

An objectof my basic invention has' been to provide a manifold capable of securing uniform fuel distribution when applied'to,y

any vtype of en ine, but in instances, such vas the four cylm er type, now knownto the industry,improvements have had to be conceived to enable the best use ofthe manifold'.

in performing its'intended functions. The present improvement is essentially of that nature, residing as it does, in the combining of a three-port manifold with a four ported engine in manner and form to `overcome objectionable 'results flowingjrom successive 1 passages of fuel mixture through a single branch of the manifold to adjacent cylinders, a pair of which must be in communication with one branch of the manifold.

In view of the foregoing,` it may be stated that the novel features of the present invention reside largely in the manner in which the inlet ports to .the cylinders are connected with 1 the inlet manifold for the lintroduction of the-fuelto the cylinders.

- A practical and` referred *embodiment of j the invention is illustrated in the accomf panying drawings forming-part hereofand l the details and association of elements will be clear from the specific description hereinafter contained when read in connection with such drawings.

4 In the drawings:

, Fi `ure 1 is a' planfviw, in fragmentaryand iagrammatic manner, of a four'cylin'der engine operatively associated. with my improved `manifold;

Figures 2, 3 and 4l are vertical sectional views, respectively, on the lines 2-2, 3-3 l arid 4-7-4 of Figure 1; a Figure 5 is a fronte'levation fold 'removed from the engine;

Figure 6 is a detail view lookin l at, the bottom of fthe intake `of the manifo d;

Fi re 7 yis a horizontal sectional view onv the line 7 -7 of Fig. 5; and

Figure 8 is alongitudinal vertical sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Another embodiment is illustrated in Figs.

y 9 and 10,--

`sus

' Figure 9 is a horizontal section through the manifold, and

Figure 10 is a vertical section thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like reference letters designate corresponding parts in the several views,.A. represents the cylinder block or casting provided with the four cylinders, B, C, D and E, respectively provided with inlet ports, b, c, d and e, and the exhaust ports b', c', d and e. All of these ports are usually, and may or may not, be provided with the water jacket F as found convenient or desired in practice.

With any suitable carburetor or lead therefrom (not necessarily illustrated herein) the intake,-in this instance an uptake,-portion G of the manifold is adapted to extend in a vertical direction, the same being preferably in the nature of a square conduit rounding at its lower end g to register with the. common circular opening of a carburetor outlet or a round pipe coupling the same with the manifold as will be obvious. The uptake passage of the conduit Gr passes directly through an exhaust manifold H coupled to .thepface .of the engine b fianges and bolts 71 with a suitable packmg h therebetween, and 'in registration with the several outlet ports, the conduit G bein in this instance formed integrallywith t e exhaust manifold and has a vertical passageway therethrough so that theheating influence of exhaust gases will be imparted `to the walls of the manifold and the consequent warming of the wall of the conduit G may overcome tendenc of the fuel mixture or constituents thereo to adhere to the surface of said wall. The upper end of the conduit G and associated casting of the exhaust manifold is bolted asat g to the bottom of the horizontal portion of the inlet manifold, now to be defined, a suitable packing g2 belng interposed between their adjacent flat faces. The horizontal portion vof the manifold comprises three branches H,

J and K all meeting at their inner ends at a common junction point which I have appro' priately styleda distributing zone L. This zone opens through a square opening in the' bottom of the horlzontal portion),l of the manifold to the registering square bore of the inlet conduit G. It also o ns and is in registration with the interiors of the three branches H, J andK, these branches being also preferably ofsquare cross section, a1- though it is here noted that the invention is not restricted to such square configuration or to a rectangular configuration which, however, has been found well suited for practical purposes, because, in instances, other shapes may be resorted to. The top M of the mani-4 fold immediately above the zone L is prothe air stream rather than have a tendency to run along the said top walls of the various branches. I have also found that results will be enhanced by forming the front wall N of the manifold with a recessm like the recess m having sharp angles with the front walls of the branches H and J, and the rear wall portions O of the manifold are formed with complemental recesses o formed by sharp angles with the rear walls of the branches' H, J and K, all to the end that the mixture entering the distributing zone LA or reaching the dome/M will be directed back into the stream passing through the dome or to the uptake G rather than tend to adhere to and pass along the faces of the walls of the several branches.

As will be seen by reference to Figure 6 the branch H of the manifold extends at a right angle to the vertical conduit G and by a right angle turn 71, registers with the inlet port b of thecylinder B. The branch J is formed the same and occupies a similar relation to the inlet port e of the cylinder E. The in indicated at Z.to obviate the disadvantages o f curved or rounded bends.

The' outer ends of the branches H and J\ of the manifold have square recesses la and j formed therein projected outwardly a little beyond the adjacent wall of the turns h and j, the juncture therebetween being also a sharp right angle like the sharp angle of the inner wall of the branches H and J with .the outlets h and j so that at every turn-the fuel constituents and particularly the wet particles will always tend to reenter and mix with the `.stream rather than.` adhere to and follow wall surfaces as happens where turns and bends are formed on curved lines.. The inlet manifold, in fashion similar vte the securing of'` the exhaust manifold H to Ithe engine, is attached to the side of the engine as through the medium of ianges and bolts Q,

suitable packing q being interposed as will' 'I be readily understood.

In the foregoing description, it will understood that I have kprovided a manifold comprising a vertical uptake and the three outlet branches all in communication with a distributing zone, the formation of said zone forces acting therethrough will insure uniform'distributionof thefuel in all ,(the three) directions determined by` the-outlet branches, thus favoring the fuel passing from the zone e in one direction no morey than the fuel i's similarly favored when passing in eithervv one of the other directions; also that at he ends of the manifold the same is so formed`that the forces acting to distribute the"mixtureto the end cylinder wvill vtend toire'storethe mixture to the character/possessed by it prior to reaching .the turn.

As previously observed herein, these basic matters are set forth in other applications,-

but as will be hereinafter particularly `set forth in the claims, .the presentdevicefpossesses details of additionalmerit particularly as respects the :association 'of the manifold with-theports of the f our cylinder engines." In providing this combination I have main# tained the usual v firing order of the cylinders of the engine, for` example, 1 -3-4-.2, or, 1-2-4\-3, as the case may be, as indicated in Figure 1, where these numerals have been applied at the respective/5 inlet ports of the cylinders B, C, D and E. However, I have provided a new arrangement incident tothe siamesing of adjacent orl middle inlet ports c and d and effecting registration thereof with the intermediate or central branch K of the manifold. Now, understanding the fir- -ing order to be, for example, as I have abovefoutlined, so that the usual method of induction of the fuel is employed with reference to the sequence of the induction cycles, it will' be noted that no two charges Ofmi'xture, in Succession, will follow each otherethroughthe same branch of the manifold after pass- .ing'the distributing zone. A change o f direction at this zoneifrom the intake orsource of a'charoe, and as the influences atthe zone `when the changeof direction takes place are such Lthat the mixture will 7flow in substan-Y tially equal mixture constituents orratios to y result.

each ofi the branches leading from this zone, it will be seen that equal distributionof the mixturecharge to allv of the cylinderswill To adopt this manifold to a four cylinder engine .ofthe usual construction and to secure even distribution of the mixture, it is necessary to arrange theI inlet ports to the cylinder valves so that the two'center cylin ders will take their charge-from a common intake from the icenter `branch of the manifold and the mixture'will take a differing die reti'on from the distributing zone each time there isan induction charge taken into the engine ;thus, the or'der of induction of the cycles .will be as related to the cylinders l,

3, 4, 2 or l, 2, 4, 3. An 'object of the invention is to construct the inlet ports in such aman? ner that the cylinders in their respectiveorf der will be prgvided with portskconnercting .cuted o even ldate herewith.

-with the induction-cycles ofthe cylinders. supplytakes placeeach time a-cylinder takes with the imet vaives of the cylinders and arranged to admit of applying themanifold an inlet ort connection with No. '1j cylinder only. o. 2 andNo. 3 have an inlet` port connecting with these two cylinders, while No. 4 has a port corresponding in every way to the port in No. 1. 1

' While I have herein ,disclosed the -preferred embodiment of my-invention, it-will be un- 1 5 derstood by persons skilled in the art4v to which the invention relates'that changesand Aalterations in details and association of parts maybe availed of withrout` departingY from theY spirit ofthe invention.,. For. instance, Iv have shown in Figures 9 and 1() a variation,

coupled directly with'theports of four cyl'- inder engines by siamesing opposite endi pairs jthereof. `This form of-manifold is,

however, otherwise useful lin v connection'wth sub-manifolds for'engines of other types asv set forth "in my copending ,application exelVtha -Ic1aimiszf 4,1.' The combination with a fourfcylinder engine having suitable -inlet prts for the cy inders, ofamanifold having three 4outlets operatively associated with said' cylinder iiilet ports to supply fuel 'mixture' to the cylinders through their inlet ports j-i'nkeeping vinductioncycles ofthe cylinders, the inlet ports to a pair of cylinders being irhco'mmunication with one of the manifold outlets, and a common supply for the'manifold, the outlet portions .of themanifoldl and their relation to the inlet ports ofthe cylinders being 4such that thepassage of the fuel mix-ture from the common supply to the cylinders will not be successively -in any one direction with respect -to the manifold .outlets g 3., Thev combination with a 'fofur cylinder engine having suitable inlet ports, ofa mani-` foldfhaving threev outlets operatively* associated withthe inlet ports of said four cylinders, and means forlsupplyin'g the manifold with a fuel mixture,l the' relation of the .outlets, inlet ports and induction cycles of the cylinder being suchLthat the distribution of the fuel towards-the outletsv from the maniyno in differing directo forces tending to uniformly distribute the mixture passing through said zone, and directing the mixture in three directions from said zone and in successively differing directions from the zone to supply the successive cylinders.

5. The method of distributing a fuel mixture to a four cylinder engine comprising the movement of the mixture from a common source in three different directions to the cylinder ports, and successively varying the di-` rectiony of movement of the mixture so that the mixture will not pass in the same direction to immediately successive cylinder ports.

6. The method. 'of distributing a fuel mixture to the cylinders of a four cylinder internal combustion engine comprising the movement ofthe mixture from a source of supply to a zone of distribution, and subjecting the movement of the mixture through said zone to forces tending to uniformly distribute the mixture in three successive directions transverse to the original direction and finally in each direction directin the mixtureto one of the four cylinders of t 1e engine.

7. The method of distributing a fuel mixture to the cylinders of a four cylinder internal combustion -engine comprising the movement of the mixture from asource of supply to a zone of distribution, and subjecting the movement of the mixture through said zone to forces tending to uniformly distribute the mixture in three successive directions transverse to the original direction and finally in each direction directing the mixture to one of the four cylinders in two of the directions and to two of the cylinders in the third direction.

8.*vThe method of distributing a fuel mixture to the cylinders of a four cylinder internal combustion engine comprising the movement of the-mixture from a source of supply to a zone of distribution, and subjecting the movement of the mixture through said zone to forces tending to uniformly distribute the mixture in three successive directions transverse to the original direction and nally in each direction directing the mixture to one v of the four cylinders in two of the directions and to two of the cylinders in the third diy rection but alternating the movements in said between the firing of which one other cylinder res, of a manifold having three outlets operatively associated with said cylinder inlet ports to supply fuel mixture to the cylinder through their inlet ports in keeping with the inductionF cycles of the cylinder, the inlet ports to a pair of c linders communicating with one of the manifold outlets, and a common supply for the manifold, the outletl portions of the manifold and their relation to the inlet ports of the cylinders being such that the passage of the fuel mixture from the com mon supply to the cylinders will not be successively in .any one direction with respect to the manifold outlets.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature.

JOHN W. SWAN. 

